[linnieab]

My daughter is a 20 year old US citizen. She is in love with a Columbian boy who is here in Texas with a school visa. They live together now but wish to get married. What are the step by step requirements? They would like to have an October 2010 wedding. With all the legalities needed, is there enough time until October?

[gustoaus]

I would suggest you purchase the book "Fiance and Marriage Visas; A Couple's guide to U.S. Immigration" by Ilona Bray J.D. published by Nolo. They have a great step-by-step process that goes through everything from her being a US citizen to him being here legally/illegally. It tells you what paperwork to file and so on and so forth. Good luck!

[Fr_Chuck]

Getting married is not the issue, I married a couple today where the man was from the UK.

The issue is getting his visa changed to allow him to stay after his student visa expires ( assuming you are not planning to move back to his country)

Merely to get married, they get a license and a preacher your real question is not the marriage but the change in immigration status

[NYcityboy]

Congratulations. For your USC daughter to petition for his permanent residence, they need to get married (see response above), then she files the relative petition (I-130) and he concurrently files the application to adjust status from F-1 student visa to PR (I-485). There are many other forms, the affidavit of support, biographic information forms, employment authorization, travel authorization, etc. you should start with USCIS.org - Find Government Related Products And Services go to the "how do I" link.

Its always a good idea to consult with an immigration attorney as each case is different, she may not qualify for the I-864 and you will need a joint sponsor, he may be on a J-1 and not an F-1, he may need to travel internationally, there may be a criminal case previously, etc. good luck.